by Richard Kretz Richard Kretz is a regionally-acclaimed naturalist and photographer whose digital images capture the vibrant beauty and diversity of nature. His life project is to photographically document as much of the flora and fauna as possible in far Southwest Virginia. He resides at the foot of Clinch Mountain near Lebanon in Russell County, […]
Wildlife
Focus on Local Outdoor Photographers
Birds of the Powell, Clinch, and Holston River Watersheds
by Ed Talbott Photos courtesy of Roger Mayhorn except where noted rmayhorn@hughes.net http://pbase.com/mayhorn Three major river systems arise in the hill and valley region of Southwest Virginia and follow the ridgelines, flowing southwest into Northeast Tennessee. The rivers are the Clinch, the Powell and the Holston, and these rivers, along with the French Broad River, […]
New Trail Coming Soon to a Big Mountain Near You
by Claude Gable Hikers, bikers, and hunters of southwestern Virginia will be pleased to learn of the establishment of a new trail on Clinch Mountain tracing the border of Washington and Russell counties. The trail, open to foot traffic only, will be built in two stages. Phase one will begin at the Low Gap parking […]
Zero to 11,000 in 12 Years Flat: Bonanza in the Bluegrass State
Our boots hadn?t even touched the ground outside of the truck when we lost count of how many bulls we could hear. They were coming from a 360-degree arc around us, and one of them had to be inside 100 yards. It?s tough to pull out your gear in total silence when you?re twitching with adrenaline. My companion Claudis had a better excuse than I did, though. He?d never even seen an elk before the previous evening when we?d spotted a small herd.
Elk Returning to Southwest Virginia Coalfields?
As elk from Eastern Kentucky migrated into far Southwest Virginia over the past decade, support for having them in the Virginia coalfields has grown. State officials estimate that from 50-100 elk are now in the Virginia coalfield region, with a couple of small groups staying for years in and around specific areas. A few Virginia […]